Darvin Ham's woefully perplexing decisions as head coach of the Los Angeles Lakers left fans and analysts scratching their heads throughout much of the 2023-24 NBA season. Sporting a middling 21-22 record over their first 43 games, the Lakers seemed poised for another season of mediocrity. However, a pivotal change in their 44th game—a Jan. 21 showdown against the Portland Trail Blazers—sparked newfound hope. Ham's decision to start LeBron James, Anthony Davis, D'Angelo Russell, Austin Reaves, and Rui Hachimura together for the first time led to a resounding victory and signaled the beginning of a late-season surge.
The newly-formed starting unit proved to be exceptionally effective, compiling an impressive 18-6 record while outscoring opponents by 5.5 points per 100 possessions. This drastic improvement leaves many to speculate what might have been if Ham had orchestrated this lineup earlier in the season. Could the Lakers have avoided the dreaded Play-In Tournament and a challenging first-round series against the Denver Nuggets? The question lingers, but the potential certainly existed.
A Tactical Shift for the New Season
As the 2024-25 season approaches, former NBA player turned coach, JJ Redick, has announced his intention to continue leveraging the successful quintet of James, Davis, Reaves, Russell, and Hachimura. Redick's strategy aims to maximize ball-handling capabilities around James, allowing the legendary forward to navigate the court with more freedom. "LeBron is one of the smartest players, and I think using him as a screener and finding ways to get him the ball in specific spots on the floor where he can be a facilitator and scorer, that's what I mean by being off the ball," Redick said, highlighting his vision for optimizing James's prodigious skill set.
An Uphill Battle
The Lakers' path forward is anything but simple. Their early 2024-25 schedule features matchups against five formidable playoff teams: the Timberwolves, the Suns twice, the Kings, and the Cavaliers. This gauntlet will test the Lakers' mettle and the effectiveness of the new lineup configuration right out of the gate.
Starting Reaves and Russell together introduces certain defensive vulnerabilities. Both are known for their offensive prowess but struggle to guard elite perimeter threats. This shift places an additional defensive burden on Davis, who is already the cornerstone of the Lakers' defense. The replacement of Jarred Vanderbilt with Hachimura does not solve the perimeter defensive issues either, as Hachimura is not primarily a perimeter defender.
Balancing Offense and Defense
Despite these defensive concerns, the new lineup aims to dominate offensively. Pairing James and Davis with dynamic shooters and individual creators like Reaves, Russell, and Hachimura is expected to generate robust scoring outputs. While no team maintains the same lineup for all 82 games of the season due to injuries, trades, and matchup considerations, this potent combination offers a promising starting point.
James, Davis, Hachimura, Reaves, and Russell are indisputably the top five talents on the Lakers roster. Starting the most talented group typically yields positive results unless a specific combination skill set is required to address certain matchups. For the Lakers, this configuration strikes a balance that could propel them to new heights, provided they manage the defensive trade-offs effectively.
In conclusion, the upcoming season holds significant promise and challenges for the Los Angeles Lakers. JJ Redick's strategic choices and the team’s ability to adapt to tough competition will likely define their success. As the battles unfold, fans will eagerly watch to see if this lineup can translate potential into performance and bring the Lakers back to the pinnacle of NBA achievement.